MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The West battlegroup has developed and prepared heavy FPV drones Koshchei for the supply to the troops to be used both for cargo delivery and as a warhead carrier, a Russian Defense Ministry source told TASS.

"Due to the rapidly changing situation along the line of combat contact, the technical and operational unit (TOU) technicians have received a request to develop heavy drones capable of carrying bulky cargo to supply advanced units by air in the fastest possible way. The first assembled UAV proved well for these purposes. Later its use as a warhead carrier turned out to be more preferable," the source said.

The source said that various types of ammunition, such as the TM-62 anti-tank mine, food, water and relay equipment can serve as a payload for the Koshchei drone.

"It is currently being used as a kamikaze drone. It opens the enemy's strongholds, dugouts. If the enemy is in a house, the house is simply destroyed by this drone," said head of the technical and operational part.

According to him, the drone is capable of covering a distance of 15 km, which is "quite safe for the operator."

He said that ground-based robotic complexes (GBRCs) are used to perform special tasks. "Small GBRCs can serve as ammunition, that is, it can roll in and help stormtroopers to open an enemy stronghold," he explained.

 

Troops of unmanned systems

 

Colonel Sergey Ishtuganov, deputy head of the unmanned systems forces, said in November that this branch of the army was set up, its structure was determined, regular regiments and other units formed. The new branch is formed in accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said that the formation of unmanned systems troops will be completed in 2026 — it is necessary to move from performing individual tasks in groups to complex joint actions as part of military units.